Japan holds hard line

Press, 15 August 1978, Page 1

Japan holds hard line

PA Wellington Japan does not want an explanatory memorandum covering New Zealand access to the Japanese market attached to the fishing agreement between the two countries, says the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon). The Japanese response was delivered to New Zealand officials yesterday by the Ambassador to New Zealand, Mr Umeo Kagei. who headed his nation's team in the fishing talks. It was reported to the Cabinet later yesterday and will be discussed by the Cabinet Economic Committee today. New Zealand officials who negotiated the agreement will be at the Cabinet committee meeting. Mr Muldoon told a news conference yesterday: "We’ll talk about it in the Cabinet Economic Committee and see what we do next. “The situation in the absence of some such memorandum and having regard to the fact that we've had these comments, this series of comments, is not satisfactory in its present form,” he said. The Japanese view was that there should not be an explanatory memorandum with the agreement "or words to that effect." Mr Muldoon said. Asked if there was any indication that the Japan-

ese might be agreeable to the question of New Zealand access to the Japanese market being dealt with in a separate, agreed statement similar to the statement after the Nakagawa talks. Mr Muldoon replied: “That’s a possibility . . . the difficulty that arises there that arose before is that we make an agreed statement and then someone on the Japanese side makes a further statement that tends to throw cold water on it, even though it was an agreed statement. “I mean, after that’s happened a couple of times you get a little bit tired of that process.” It had been thought that the fishing agreement might be initialled last week, but Mr Muldoon said on Thursday that it did not appear to state clearly enough the relationship between Japanese access to New Zealand fishing waters and New Zealand’s access to the Japanese market for its farm products. Mr Muldoon said the agreement stated that “New Zealand’s interests will be taken into account.” He said that was diplomatic English but “not plain English.” He commented at the time: “I’m getting a little tired of these things that have various meanings to various people so we are going to trv and put it in nlain English.”